I was wondering if you guys could help me out. I'm going to buy a jacket if I can find out how to wear it. It's cream colored with a grey "pattern" to it in wool/silk. I'm not great at describing it, so you can find it here

Anyway, is this appropriate for spring/summer and how can I not look like an ass while wearing it (if that's possible)? I don't wear a tie to wear and I dress in a quasi business casual way every day. Thanks for any help you can offer!

What are the significant differences between the Clarks Desert Boot and the Clarks Original Desert Boot? My local store only has the originals.

I didn't know the answer, so yesterday I emailed Clarks the following question, "What are the significant differences between the Clarks Desert Boot and the Clarks Original Desert Boot?"

And this morning, Kristina Corner, Consumer Advisor at Clarks, emailed me the following reply, "Originals is a range of shoes we have which contains a variety of different styles, the Desert Boot being one of them. Therefore, The Desert boot and the Originals Desert Boot are the same item."

Sometimes, if you want a quick, accurate answer, simply asking the company makes more sense than posting the question here a couple of times. Just saying, is all.
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Michael

Just got an internship for the summer and need to suit up most days or at least look put together... Looking at getting a navy suit and possibly a gray suit, as far as shoes go I've always loved brown shoes with suits, was looking for something simple that I could also dress down as well when I'm not at work and found these:

I tried posting earlier, but it contained a link so I'm not sure if it's stuck in moderation or if it vanished. Anyway, I apologize if this turns into a double post. I want to buy a wool/silk sport coat that is a cream/beige color and has a, for lack of a better phrase windowpane (read: grid?) pattern in a pale brown. I love the jacket, but I'm not sure how to go about wearing something like this. Any suggestions? Is this spring/summer appropriate? Thanks!

Just got an internship for the summer and need to suit up most days or at least look put together... Looking at getting a navy suit and possibly a gray suit

Well, if you'll be wearing a suit most days, you need more than one suit.

Navy and gray are the obvious choices. If you'd care to add a third suit, khaki (or tan) would be acceptable as a summer suit in many settings. Not all, of course, but many.

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as far as shoes go I've always loved brown shoes with suits

I'm partial to more reddish shoes - colors like merlot, burgundy, etc. But brown is okay. Some will maintain that the "no brown in the city" rule extends to shoes, and I'll allow as how there might be some truth to this, in a few places, in certain cities. But brown shoes are okay in most situations, in most major cities in the United States, particularly in the daytime.

As you haven't told us where you'll be, or what the internship is, that's the best I can give you.

Since you'll be "suiting up" most days, you ought to have at least two pairs of good shoes. Yeah, quality shoes cost a little, but properly cared for they can last you for decades. (Without proper care, they won't last particularly long, and will look awful in short order.)

While I'm not a huge fan of black shoes, they do serve a purpose, so if you get one pair in brown, at least consider getting the second pair in black.

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was looking for something simple that I could also dress down as well when I'm not at work

Ironically, simple shoes tend to be more formal than less simple ones.

Anyway, I've long since come to accept that making one item of clothing - shirt, shoes, pants, jacket, etc. - do "double duty," that is, look good in formal settings, informal settings, with jeans, with wool trousers, etc., is usually a mistake. It's like a Swiss Army knife - sure, it does 47 different things, but it does few of them as well as a dedicated tool would. This being the case, and since I've already pointed out that quality shoes may be regarded as a long-term purchase, I'd suggest you get a couple of pairs of shoes that look great with suits, and a pair or two that look great when you're casually dressed, and not worry about finding shoes that are ideal for both purposes.

But since you may be wondering what I think of those Johnston & Murphys anyway, they're tolerable. Still, you'd be much better off buying a couple of pairs of Allen Edmonds (Park Avenue, Fifth Avenue, maybe the Strand), and a pair or two of more casual shoes. (The strands are actually somewhat casual by "wear with suit" standards, so could perhaps be seen as a "go with everything" shoe, if you insisted on it.)
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Michael

Well, if you'll be wearing a suit most days, you need more than one suit.
Navy and gray are the obvious choices. If you'd care to add a third suit, khaki (or tan) would be acceptable as a summer suit in many settings. Not all, of course, but many.
I'm partial to more reddish shoes - colors like merlot, burgundy, etc. But brown is okay. Some will maintain that the "no brown in the city" rule extends to shoes, and I'll allow as how there might be some truth to this, in a few places, in certain cities. But brown shoes are okay in most situations, in most major cities in the United States, particularly in the daytime.
As you haven't told us where you'll be, or what the internship is, that's the best I can give you.
Since you'll be "suiting up" most days, you ought to have at least two pairs of good shoes. Yeah, quality shoes cost a little, but properly cared for they can last you for decades. (Without proper care, they won't last particularly long, and will look awful in short order.)
While I'm not a huge fan of black shoes, they do serve a purpose, so if you get one pair in brown, at least consider getting the second pair in black.
Ironically, simple shoes tend to be more formal than less simple ones.
Anyway, I've long since come to accept that making one item of clothing - shirt, shoes, pants, jacket, etc. - do "double duty," that is, look good in formal settings, informal settings, with jeans, with wool trousers, etc., is usually a mistake. It's like a Swiss Army knife - sure, it does 47 different things, but it does few of them as well as a dedicated tool would. This being the case, and since I've already pointed out that quality shoes may be regarded as a long-term purchase, I'd suggest you get a couple of pairs of shoes that look great with suits, and a pair or two that look great when you're casually dressed, and not worry about finding shoes that are ideal for both purposes.
But since you may be wondering what I think of those Johnston & Murphys anyway, they're tolerable. Still, you'd be much better off buying a couple of pairs of Allen Edmonds (Park Avenue, Fifth Avenue, maybe the Strand), and a pair or two of more casual shoes. (The strands are actually somewhat casual by "wear with suit" standards, so could perhaps be seen as a "go with everything" shoe, if you insisted on it.)
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Michael

Thanks for the advice! I am a complete noob when it comes to things more than a button down and khakis/jeans, I'll be working for the US State Department in DC which on some days will require a more conservative look (I'd assume black would be the go to for these occasions?). I currently own a pair of darkish brown wingtips and a very basic pair of black shoes. Just out of curiosity what styles would typically be considered casual and typical suiting footwear? (again sorry for the fashion ignorance)

Question: All, I purchased a suit from Tom James about 4 years ago. The pants are wearing slightly in the front, however, the jacket is fine.

Does anyone here have any experience with maybe finding the fabric at English American? If my understanding is correct, they make the suits for TJ. I contacted the salesperson and was told they (the salespeople) don't carry the fabric anymore. That's not to say it's not available anymore. It's nice fabric and I like the suit, was entirely too much $, but it fits well and I'd like to get new matching pants.

For DC, in summer, you could probably justify not only a tan suit, but a tan poplin suit. Which isn't a "power suit" by any stretch of the imagination, but it's extremely popular amongst mid-level federal workers in DC, in the warm weather months.

Any day now, Jos A. Bank ought to be running a "Poplin Suits - $99" sale. They do this a few times per year, usually in April, June, and August. No, it's not a great suit, and JAB gets plenty of hate hereabouts (some of it well deserved), but it's still something to keep in mind.

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(I'd assume black would be the go to for these occasions?).

Lots of men - particularly young men - wear black suits. For many, black is their only suit.

Just the same, plenty of people who know and wear suits will insist that black suits for business are almost never a good choice, and that even for social situations they're rarely the best choice.

You'll have to read up on your own and make up your own mind. Me, I wear suits most days. I've been doing so for decades. And I've never purchased a black suit. (Neither have I ever purchased a black dress shirt.) Black suits just strike me as filling a niche that's microscopically small, at best. And in nearly all occasions where a black suit would be acceptable, I find a charcoal suit to be a better choice. But that's my take on it, based on my attitudes and preferences, which in many cases are somewhat more traditional than those of many people here on SF. You should learn what you can about the matter, and make up your own mind.

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Just out of curiosity what styles would typically be considered casual and typical suiting footwear?

One of the classic "wear with suit" shoes is the Allen Edmonds Park Avenue. (The Fifth Avenue is slightly less classic, but still a fine choice.)

As for casual, it could be a pair of Sperry boat shoes. Or a pair of Sebago Cayman IIs. Or a pair of Allen Edmonds Grayson penny loafers. Or hundreds of other possibilities. It all comes down to precisely what you mean by "casual," and what you own preferred style happens to be. There are tons of threads about which shoes to wear with a suit, which shoes to wear with chinos, which shoes to wear with jeans, etc. You have to take some time and start reading. Just letting someone else tell you what to wear is unlikely to leave you feeling as comfortable about your choices as would using your own, informed judgement. And if you don't feel completely comfortable with your choice of suit, shirt, shoes, etc., you probably won't look your best, either. (A big part of looking great, is being completely at ease with what you're wearing.)
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Michael